<p><span class="deck">At Ghent five Americans—divided and far from home—held firm for a treaty that won their nation new respect, and began a lasting alliance</span></p>
<p><span class="deck"><span class="typestyle">Was the old South solidly for slavery and secession? An eminent historian disputes a long-cherished view of that region’s history</span> </span></p>
<p><span class="deck"> Martin Van Buren, Andrew Jackson’s right-hand man, was a master of political intrigue who let nothing block his one unwavering ambition—the Presidency. But sometimes he was too smart for his own good</span> </p>
<p><span class="deck">The urge to create literature was as strong in the mid-1800s as it is today, but rejections were brutal and the pay was even worse.</span></p>
<p><span class="deck">Fistfights broke out in Congress in 1850 over whether the territories just won in the Mexican War should be slave or free—and only a last-minute series of compromises prevented catastrophe.</span></p>
<p>Strict codes of conduct marked the relationships of early American politicians, often leading to duels, brawls, and other—sometimes fatal—violence.</p>
